


In Its Confinement

by Mimzy6bunny



Category: Skullgirls (Video Game)
Genre: Body Horror, Dehumanization, Depictions of a mental breakdown, Gen, Hurt No Comfort, Lack of body control, allusions of torture, dunno how to tag this actually, everything that comes with writing about Painwheel, graphic depictions of pain, i guess, photosensitivity
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-21
Updated: 2020-12-21
Packaged: 2021-03-11 05:28:18
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 785
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28209852
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mimzy6bunny/pseuds/Mimzy6bunny
Summary: Prolonged moments of loneliness eventually bring Painwheel to a breaking point, and over something rather trivial too.
Comments: 2
Kudos: 5





	In Its Confinement

**Author's Note:**

> I'm so enthralled by Painwheel, her backstory and everything point to something so excruciating and inhumane... This is simply a little exploration over that fact.

The looming ceiling light shone with an otherworldly quality to it, basking the small room below in its overwhelming brightness, painting its wall lighter as it showed in grand detail every single scratch it daintily possessed, mirroring in a way the damage sustained by its single prisoner.

Painwheel.

She stood in the corner of this glorified cage, seemingly stuck in an ever discomfortable position over her rickety cell bed, with legs tucked under her figure as she kept her torso arched up as to accommodate the buer driver, her eyes glued to the light like a moth to flame. And even as she felt her eyes twitch in their painful dryness, couldn’t avert her gaze.

Her mouth hung just the slightest bit beneath her mask.

Her body found itself so limp that one could confuse it as dead, the result of her torrid treatment and multitude of experiments rendering her nearly immobile from exertion. Though time could be taken to notice the small twitch of her fingertips, a motion now so etched into her form by pain, that it had become involuntary at this point.

Pain.

It had become such a focal point of being, that in a way, she could almost ignore how her body was constantly crashing down from the absurd amount of stimuli constantly crammed into its small form, how this dull lasting sensation danced all over it. At least it felt better when she didn’t move.

A cold sweat started forming across her skin, and a splitting headache was threatening to go off, if the way Painwheel’s head panged was any indication.

Bright colors started to blur the edges of her vision. And below her mask, Painwheel bared her teeth at no one in particular.

This light was starting to piss her off.

To anyone else, the room would be simply considered well illuminated, but to the girl’s feeble mind it was nothing short of torture.

Light just like when Valentine would strap her to a bed, Brain drain pulling a lever in the distance, making her whole body tremble in excruciating pain as blinding lights took her vision.

Her whole frame shook as a rumbling cough found its way out of her hoarse throat. Forcefully closing her eyes as pain reverberated throughout the entirety of her spine.

...It was probably nighttime. Though it was hard to differentiate, as no matter night and day the lights were always on.

“Always…on…”

Painwheel closed her mouth, inhaling so deeply her chest expanded, leaving her already protruding ribcage much more noticeable.

She exhaled, and almost didn’t wince as her torso screamed in protest.  
It wasn’t like this before, back then as soon as Painwheel was left to rest she would black out in seconds. Lulled into an exhaustive dreamless sleep. So tired from the testing and experimenting that her body would crash without her input. The lights did not matter at all to her.

Now, it seemed she’d grown some type of resistance to it.

The lights flickered above her head.

An innate desire to rage started to boil on Painwheel’s chest

She grunted as her fingertips twitched madly as she pressed against the mattress for leveling. The veins up her arms seemed to tighten with the effort. Painwheel grinded her teeth together as she untucked her legs.

In a somewhat sitting position, Painwheel felt as if she were a little more in control though for some reason she couldn't smile.

It took a minute for her cramped legs to obey her, and the girl winced when her feet came in contact with the cold smooth floor below.

"EAURGHHH"

Now, her hatred filled stare went up to gaze at the light, squinting as she did so, her hands balling up in fists.

Weirdly, there was some type of construct around the bulbs, some gilded metal that slightly resembled a cage. They probably assumed someone would go and try to destroy It at some point.

They probably just hoped it wasn’t her.

She smirked.

With deadly accuracy, Painwheel leaped into air, her buer driver whirring madly as it came into contact with the caged lights. Shattering filled the room as electrical sparks flew down Painwheel’s body.

The moment her feet touched the ground, it was as if a switch flicked off, she crashed down, bending almost painfully into the cold floor as hurried steps sounded in the distance. Probably Valentine’s…

Laying now on the dark room, unable to see scratched walls and rickety hospital beds, Carol could almost pretend she was back in her old room, laying on fluffy carpet after an evening of diligently doing homework. And almost imperceptibly, she smiled.

Painwheel then closed her eyes, happy, and the bright light was extinguished.


End file.
